Weeds in gwalior and nearby regions and their medicinal properties: A case study

Abstract

Weeds are normally unwanted plants at wrong place. From the perspective of crop protection, they may have a negative effect on cultivated crop, and thus, their effective management is necessary. From a medicinal perspective, they may be useful in disease management due to their secondary metabolites, affordability, inexpensiveness, accessibility, and use by native peoples. The present study reviews the literature available on weeds of Madhya Pradesh, India (Gwalior and nearby region), with their occurrence in changing environment and reported uses in disease management. A comprehensive literature search was done to get the thorough information on the versatile weeds of Gwalior and nearby regions. Amaranthaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Euphorbiaceae, and Asteraceae are found to be the most prevalent families with plants to treat Prameha, Sandhi sula, Udara sula, and Tvaka roga. The review summarizes the weed plants available in the area under the study with their reported uses, which could be further validated scientifically and could be important from the ethnopharmacological and socioeconomic perspective. This could be the best use of a waste and promote utilization of available resources for the management and treatment of prevalent diseases in the specific area.